AAAA HAPPY BIRTHDAY @the-angst-witch!! Thank you for being such a wonderful friend!!
TWs: blood is mentioned but this is all comf though I promise
Soft music drifted through the dim living room, ivory tower candles on the coffee table as the only light source. Throl hummed along with the melody, a smooth bass supporting the singer’s whispered words as he drew his fingers through lively orange curls. Holly had finally dropped off into sleep, exhausted from the terror that had gripped her since she appeared in their living room, bloodied and haunted.
She wasn’t ever a small presence even though he towered over her, but the way she curled against him on the couch just made her feel unsettlingly tiny. All the cuts were wrapped and her sprained ankle had been cushioned with a pillow between her feet. All the rainwater had been dried from her hair with a towel, and she was swamped in one of Gabriel’s tees and a pair of his sweatpants. With her head on his lap, Holly was finally getting the rest that the deep bags under her eyes said was so urgently needed.
Even still, she looked like she was trying to escape to safety.
Her fingers curled into Throl’s sweater like he might disappear if she didn’t hold on tight enough. She scrunched her nose if he shifted, even just to lean to get anything. She whimpered when the air conditioning kicked on, rattling away. Her nerves were just about shot.
The hand in Holly’s hair slid down her shoulder and along her bicep, starting a slow circuit up and down from elbow to shoulder. “It’s alright.” He said, watching how she pressed her forehead against his leg. “You’re alright now, Holly.”
She shivered in her sleep, pulling her knees up closer to her chest. With a rustle of feathers Throl manifested his wings, one of them stretching out before settling down over Holly. It curled around her, the wrist resting on her shoulder to envelop her more securely.
The black feathers fluffed out, trapping warmth against her ever-chilled body and pulling a tiny sigh from her. Slowly, slowly, the world-hopper started to relax. Between the music, the soft lighting, and a new self-warming weighted blanket, the shivers that slid down her limbs began to die down. Throl began stroking her hair again, smoothing it back from her freckled face.
“There we go.” He said, a smile warming his voice further. “You can sleep as long as you need. You’re always safe here.”
Between himself and Gabriel, they would ensure that stayed the truth.